MANILA, Philippines — Admitting he does not have control over his daughter, President Duterte said he has to live with the reality that he and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio have different sets of senatorial candidates in the May elections.
“Insofar as PDP (Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan) is concerned, I have no quarrel with Inday actually,” he said, referring to his daughter by her nickname.
“But I respect her decision, who among the aspirants she will choose to form her ticket,” he said in a chance interview after the proclamation rally of the PDP-Laban senatorial candidates in Bulacan the other day.
Duterte said he respects his daughter’s own political decisions even if they sometimes clash with his.
One major disagreement was over the ouster of Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez as speaker, supposedly due to Sara’s machinations.
“Ako naman, meron din akong sariling nagustuhan along this year. Ang problema namin ni Inday is she’s a politician and I am also. So we cannot agree on all – especially on all of the personalities there at Hugpong,” he said, referring to the regional party led by his daughter.
Duterte officially endorsed last Thursday the senatorial bids of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, former police chief Ronald dela Rosa, former special assistant to the president Christopher Go, Maguindanao Rep. Zajid Mangudadatu and former presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino who form the slate of the ruling PDP-Laban.
The Chief Executive also announced the party’s guest candidates: Senators Sonny Angara, JV Ejercito, and Cynthia Villar, Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos and folk singer Freddie Aguilar.
As this developed, Duterte clarified he has not endorsed the senatorial bids of two former senators involved in the pork barrel scam, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr., as well as TV personality Jiggy Manicad. All three are in the senatorial list of Sara-led Hugpong ng Pagbabago.
Duterte said he considers Jinggoy a friend, but that the senator – as well as Revilla – failed to inform him early enough of their desire to join his party
“Too late. They gave me the signal too late. Actually, about almost a year ago I was already forming the ticket. But I just played dumb. Hindi ko naman sinasabi. Ganun man talaga (I didn’t tell anyone. That’s how it is),” he said.